In our last “Secrets of Sprezzatura” post, we showed you how to achieve an air of ars-est-celare-artem nonchalance by wearing your shirt collar deliberately messed up while feigning obliviousness to it.

For this installment, we look at the excruciatingly correct way to wear a crewneck, though we’re at a loss to explain how it became correct.

While neatfreaks wear their crewnecks high in the back and rounded in the front, the more nonchalant way is to wear it low in the back and straight across the front, suggesting you hastily threw the sweater on in order to keep warm, with no concern for your appearance.

Crewnecks are worn this way regardless of how they’re cut, with or without a tie. You see this both in historic images and cinematic recreations of the Ivy heyday, such as “Dead Poets Society.”

I asked a number of sartorial sages to shed light on the origins of this custom, but none could offer an answer. If you grew up with your father or peers showing you the “right” way to wear a crewneck, leave a comment and let us know.

The above photo (exhibit A), plus exhibits B and C below show front views, while D shows a side view of a correctly worn crewneck, wonderfully demonstrated by the venerable French teacher in the movie “School Ties.”

Finally, for double deshabille points, combine the high-in-front, low-in-back way of wearing a crewneck with a messed-up-collar oxford. — CC

That definitely looks like the way my father wears them, though I doubt he could tell you why. For reference, he grew up in Somerville and Cambridge in the 50’s. I can’t remember seeing him in a sweater that isn’t a crewneck, and he wears them just like the fellow in Exhibit A, with just a peak of collar showing in front.

I think you’ve got a Latin problem here, Christian. The quote should read: ars est celare artem. Ars is a third declension noun, and artem is the accusative singular, which should be used here, since the word is the direct object of the preposition celare. Okay: enough pedantry! This is another interesting post!

Indeed it is. Boyer and I wondered if what I was seeing in some of the images was boatnecks; we also wondered if it was a necktie that was causing the effect. But I’m convinced you see this with standard crewnecks, with or without a tie.